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Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes

These super fluffy pancakes are sure to be a showstopper at your next brunch party! This recipe is quick, easy, and doesn’t require any buttermilk!

Life is all about yummy fluffy pancakes.

Admit it, a world without pancakes would be bleak, maybe not even worth living in. You love pancakes, don’t you? You do. It’s okay, I do too. My favourite thing about pancakes (other than eating them, of course!) is watching maple syrup drip off the edges of my pancake tower, like some sort of sun-kissed waterfall.

Fluffy pancakes are one of my all-time favourite Sunday morning breakfast treats. The problem is that a lot of great pancake recipes call for buttermilk. (Honestly, who keeps buttermilk at home? Is that a North American thing?)

Without it, you can end up with a flat, lifeless pancake that looks too much like a lost crepe. Here’s a quick and easy recipe to make super fluffy pancakes with ingredients you probably already have at home. Never buy that horrid box of premix again. Please.

This is what moody pancakes look like.

Can you make Fluffy Pancakes without Buttermilk?

In short, yes. This pancake recipe uses no buttermilk at all (it does require regular milk though). So, you may ask, what’s the deal with buttermilk? Well, it’s terribly in vogue when it comes to baking. And there’s a reason for it. The acidity in buttermilk helps the pancakes rise.

On the flip side, I’ve never known anyone to regularly stock up on buttermilk. In fact, until I moved to Canada, I had never even seen buttermilk… not even at a supermarket!

(If you’re ever in a real pinch – you can create your own buttermilk alternative by mixing a cup of milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar and letting it sit for 10 minutes. Perhaps less conventionally, you could also use a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar. Neither option tastes as good as the real thing, but they’ll do the trick. Thankfully, with this recipe – you won’t need to!)

Sifting flour is a beautiful thing. It’s like making snow fall… And then turning it into a cake.

Why are my pancakes flat? How can I make my pancakes fluffier?

There are a number of factors that can lead to your pancakes being flat. But here are the four horsemen of the pancake apocalypse (pancalypse…panpocalypse…pancakalypse…help):

Overmixing your batter – overmixing your pancake batter will deflate a lot of the air bubbles in your batter, making it difficult for your pancakes to rise into the light and fluffy pancakes you want (the video in my recipe section is an example of this!). Secondly, it’ll develop gluten. And too much gluten will result in a tough, chewy pancake.

Stale Baking Powder – baking powder typically has a shelf life of 9 months to a year. To check whether your baking powder is still fresh, simply stir half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of water. If you see an immediate reaction (it’ll fizz up, bestie!), then it’s still good to use. If not, you should consider replacing it.

Humid Conditions – This is based on an observation made by many of my readers (you can see it mentioned in the comments section below). But a very humid kitchen results in a runnier batter, which means less fluffy pancakes. If you happen to be in a place that is very humid, try putting your batter in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t become too fluid/runny.

Not Letting Your Batter Rest – Letting your batter rest before cooking allows the starch granules in the flour to expand resulting in an airier pancake.

The Violent Flip – Turn the pancakes over gently. Flipping them high into the air results in the air literally being squished out of them!

Also…make sure to relax, bestie. Making pancakes should be a pleasurable experience! And this fluffy pancake recipe is simple; it doesn’t require any fancy steps (like whipping egg whites into a meringue). Be mindful of the tips above, and pay attention to your heat management, and you’re sure to be fine.

(If you want to do a little reading, check out my How to Read a Recipe Post – it’ll help you understand the procedures and the measurements used in a recipe post, like this one!)

Of course, if you do end up burning your first pancake, just remember what they say: “Le première crepe est pour les chiens!” (A French saying meaning, “The first crepe is for the dogs!”).

The faster you cook, the sooner you eat!

Other No-Buttermilk Pancake Recipes You Need to Check Out

Here are four other amazing pancake recipes that don’t require any buttermilk at all. Each one is unique, and delicious!

Fluffy Japanese Pancakes – taking a bite out of these meringue-based babies is like eating a delicious cloud! (Yes, they spark joy.)

Maple syrup over a pat of butter. Yes, please!

Fluffy Pancakes, Updated: What’s Changed?

If you’ve been visiting my blog for a while, you may realise that this is a republished version of one of my very early blog posts (also titled, “Fluffy, Fluffy Pancakes”, originally published: February 17th 2015). I’ve updated the post quite significantly.

While the recipe is the same great pancake recipe it’s always been, I’ve rewritten the post with the aims of addressing some of the major questions I’ve received from commenters over the last few years. If there’s anything you feel is still missing, please do let me know with a comment below.

I’ve also done my best to create a clearer, more readable post, while maintaining the gist and the feel of the original. (The original post was written quite some time back, it was mostly me rambling about how much I love pancakes!)

Helpful Tools

Heads up! The following are affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, I will receive a small commission. You won’t need to pay a penny more, but it’ll help keep my lights on! Thank you bestie, you rock!

Luckily, it doesn’t take much equipment to make perfect pancakes. It is however a lovely feeling to have all the right equipment. Here are a few little things that might make your pancake-making experience just that much sweeter.

OR…(and this is super exciting, bestie) how’s about you check out The Chocolates & Chai Shop? The shop is a place for fashionable foodies, providing all sorts of apparel including the popular Today for Tomorrow t-shirt (25% of the profits from it go to charity!).

Instructions

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter together. Be careful not to use hot, melted butter, as that may end up cooking your eggs!

Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and stir till mostly incorporated. The batter should be thick and a little lumpy, but without any visible streaks of flour. If it is too thick to work with, add a little milk. Set the batter aside for 5-10 minutes.

Heat a heavy-bottomed, non-stick pan over a low-medium heat and coat it with oil. Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop and drop the batter into the pan so that you get evenly-sized pancakes.

Cook until the first side is golden brown, or until the top surface forms bubbles. Flip and repeat on the other side. Adjust heat accordingly. Serve while still hot.

Me and my daughters made this recipe today they loved them! Although I only had self raising flour so I just used that and half the amount of baking powder. I did accidentally put n extra cup of milk so I had to double up on the ingredients lol so we have left over batter for tomorrow 😀 Thanks alot from down under!

Hey Lily! I totally understand the difficulties of limited time in the morning. Yes, I think this should be fine if you make the batter the night before, cover and refrigerate, and cook the next morning 🙂 Hope you enjoy them! 🙂

Just made this recipe for the first time today. I was searching for a fluffy pancake recipe. This recipe did NOT disappoint! It tasted so good, instructions were amazing, and overall a pretty easy recipe to make. Thank you for this post, this will now be my go to recipe for pancakes going forward.Thanks Riz!

Promised the kids pancakes for dinner and had to google a “no buttermilk no oil” recipe once I realized that I had no mix! Very, very pleasantly surprised by the quality of these. I subbed extract for vanilla bean paste and added berries to the mix and cooked them on a griddle for 375° Will 100% use this recipe again. I might not even buy a new box of mix!

I am rubbish at making pancakes. I came across this recipe and made a double batch. They turned out perfect, every single pancake! I normally burn a couple! Lol!! Amazing recipe, Beautiful fluffy pancakes! Thank you so much! My kids devoured them! Just made another double batch for Christmas morning, and I’m gonna freeze them now, so I can enjoy Christmas morning with my kiddos!! Thanks so much 😊❤️

These are delicious. Finally an American pancake recipe without buttermilk! . No need to pay for overpriced branded pancake mixture from the states to the U.K. now. Made these this morning and such a hit. Delicious. I had to leave out the sugar as I shared them with my 8 month old but a bit of maple syrup on mine sweetened it right back up. Baby loved them too!

Hi Alice! So glad to hear you and the baby loved them!!! And yes, a recipe without buttermilk and an alternative to expensive box mix is exactly why I felt I needed to share this recipe. Thank you so much for giving it a try 🙂

Hey Jennifer! Yes, if your butter is clumping, then the milk is likely too cold (generally, unless advised otherwise, when baking – room temperature ingredients are used for everything). That said, you should still get pretty yummy pancakes even with clumped butter as it’ll mix into the dough somewhat when you mix the wet and dry ingredients. And any remaining clumps will form little bursts of steam when being cooked that will help create air. 🙂

These are, hands down, the best pancakes I have ever made!! Finally a recipe that works and actually makes fluffy, gorgeous pancakes! Just made for New Year’s Day breakfast for a house full of teenagers – huge hit! Thank you so much for sharing!

This is a great full proof recipe. my pancakes always turn out bleerrrr but this time they really came out great.ofcourse i made a few substitutions based on what i had in my kitchen. I used cake flour. which i sifted with a fork because I dont have a sieve or whisk. margarine instead of butter (butter is 4 times more expensive than margarine so i only buy it probably once 9r twice a year for special dishes. Also used brown sugar instead of white. it is the only one we buy in our home. best pancakes i have ever made and had!! and recipe gave me 5 pancakes

Hi! I plan to try the recipe, seems to be a hit to everyone who tried! Just wondering, since I’ll give them to my 1yo, can i remove the salt and sugar? Or replace them with something else (healthier)? Can the all purpose flour be replaced as well? With coconut, almond or wheat flour? Thank you!!!

Hi Riz, I do something else to make my pancakes rise beautifully. I separate the white from the egg and beat the white to soft peaks. Once I’ve combined all of the other ingredients I FOLD in the egg whites.. They look like regular pancakes until they are turned and then they immediately start puffing up and rising.

As to buttermilk, I guess I am the odd man out… I DO keep buttermilk in my refrigerator. It keeps a really long time. But I always have it readily available for pancakes, ranch dressing, or some cakes.

Hi Patricia! Thanks for commenting! I agree, separating the egg white from the yolk and beating into soft peaks is a fantastic method (I actually use it in my Lemon Mascarpone Pancakes recipe) – I haven’t used it here because the intention behind this recipe is one that is quick and easy enough to be accessible to just about everyone. 🙂

I don’t like pancakes. They aren’t terrible or anything, but I would always prefer waffles or French toast. My son has been asking me to make pancakes for a couple of weeks now and I decided to go ahead and do it today. I found this recipe on Pinterest and tried it. We all loved them! (Including me!) And I loved how mine actually turned out to look like the ones in the picture. I’m looking forward to making these again in the near future.

To me, pancakes are like a thick crepe. They aren’t supposed to be fluffy, and they have no sugar. They come close to the size of your dinner plate.

A picklet is palm sized (about a centimeter thick) that is fluffy. These are served singularly with maybe butter/margarine and jam, maybe add some whipped cream for an indulgent but innocent afternoon delight.

And then there are hotcakes that are about the size of a slice of bread, and are as fluffy as you can get. Stack these puppies up for the naughtiest but most rewarding treat with the maple syrup and ice cream.

I dunno. That’s just why I was confused by the name of this recipe and the way it’s served in the video. Maybe the terms are used more interchangeably in America.

Hey Fiona! I’ve never heard them called picklets before…I’ve done a quick Google search, and from what I can see, pikelet is only used in certain parts of the UK (I grew up there but never heard the term myself!) and Australia/New Zealand – from what you’re describing, I think I’ve known pikelets as crumpets. (And this definitely is not a crumpet recipe!)

I’ve heard hotcakes as an alternative word for pancakes. I’m not sure where they’re commonly called hotcakes (US, I think?), but pancakes are definitely the common name for them. Hope that helps and that you found what you’re looking for! 🙂

These are so great! Such a great combo. Didn’t love the taste that the canola oil in the pan added. Would maybe try greasing the pan with butter instead? Otherwise, these are perfect. Love scooping them with a quarter-cup- that’s the perfect size. Thanks!

Hey there! So glad you enjoyed the pancakes! Yes, butter should work well (it’ll need a bit more replenishing as these don’t always cook super quick, so keep some extra nearby!), though there shouldn’t be enough canola oil in the pan to change the flavour. 🙂

Great recipe. I made them tonight. They’re easy, fool proof, and delicious! I liked one of the comments above about adding a little cinnamon, maybe next time. This will be my go to pancake recipe. Thanks!

I have tried quite a few pancake recipes and I always came back to this one. Now, this is taped to my cabinet door so I can easily refer to it. I must say you should go ahead and double this recipe. We are a family of five, three of whom are little children, and one batch barely cuts it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

I never comment on recipes but I just had to give you props! Full disclosure, I did modify by adding protein powder but this is the first time I was able to get my protein pancakes fluffy by following the test of your instructions. I wonder if it’s the “letting the batter rest” part? 🤔

I tried thus recipe today. My pancakes turned out flat…not fluffy at all! I went by recipe but I did use Lactose free 2% milk. Also, after letting the batter “rest” shoukd I have stirred it before spooning it in skillet????

Hi Donita, I’m not sure of the effect of changing out the milk to lactose free would make a big difference. You did the right thing by *not* stirring it again after letting the batter rest (however, based on that question – I’ve get the feeling that the reason your pancakes turned out flat is because the batter may have been overmixed prior to letting it rest.) Hope that helps!

Hey there Shay! I’ve not tried doing this so I can’t say with any surety. If fluffiness is your main aim, adding melted chocolate to the mix can be a bit difficult to work with (it’s a very heavy ingredient); cocoa powder may work better. You’ll have to tell me how it goes (send me a photo if you can!).

Hello, I’ve been wondering what is the deal with all the pancakes on the internet today. Now I get it. I’ve been making pancakes the same way for eons and came across your post when I googled recipes to try and to make better ones. I haven’t tried yours yet, but don’t worry, I will. I just had to write a comment to let you know that you should never apologize for rambling about food. Especially about pancakes! Who doesn’t love them?! Seriously. Me it’s the maple syrup. Gets me every time. But then I’m French Canadian, it’s in my blood 😉. Love your site and don’t let the picky people make you feel like apologizing! Hope you’re loving Canada and yeah, I don’t know what the deal is with buttermilk either. I mean really. Looking forward to trying this recipe and many more from you. Keep it up bestie 😉

Hey there, bestie! Thanks so much for your lovely comment! I really hope you get a chance to try out my recipe, and that you love it as much as I do!

And you’re right! Maple syrup just takes pancakes from yummy to magical. (Another fun fact: I didn’t know there was a difference between maple syrup and pancake syrup until I moved to Canada and learnt the error of my ways! And yes, I am loving it here in Toronto! It’s taken me a little time to get used to the weather, but I’m hoping to go skiing for the first time ever soon! Wish me luck!)

Delicious and fluffy! My only complaint is the recipe doesn’t make enough! It’s perfect for just me, because I can freeze the few extra, but if you have a big family you’ll probably need to triple the recipe. I’ve used soymilk, almond milk, a combo with half n half..I just always add a splash of vinegar and let the milk sit in order to mimic the effect of buttermilk.

Hi Laura! I’ve never tried freezing them after cooking…I would assume that the texture would be affected by freezing and thawing. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! Thank you for visiting, and thank you to you and your husband for enjoying the recipe!!

Hi Carie, I’m sorry it hasn’t worked out for you. I’m not sure where things went wrong, but I’d suggest reading through the post and comments section for anything that may ring true to you. Hope you find the fluffiness soon!

Excited to try these. I just did the baking powder test. Fail! Thanks for the tips, my slightly expired bp means no Fluffy Fluffy Pancakes for us on Sunday unless I hit the grocery store soon! Have you tried bp in French Toast to try and keep them puffy? Mine deflate land look super sad. Bp helps a little.

I’ve NOT tried baking powder with french toast, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind next time I’m experimenting. I HAVE however tried baking powder as a way to fluff up an omelette (it works, but it’s hard to get the amount exactly right as the bitter powder flavour creeps in often).